U.S. patent application number 12/232402 was filed with the patent office on 2010-01-28 for surge protector with spatial variation.
Invention is credited to Ming-Chou Kuo, Yu-Lung Lee.
Application Number | 20100020460 12/232402 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41568445 |
Filed Date | 2010-01-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100020460 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lee; Yu-Lung ; et
al. |
January 28, 2010 |
Surge protector with spatial variation
Abstract
A surge protector with spatial variation includes a housing, a
body, a lifting means, and an operating means. The housing has an
opening and an accommodating space. The opening and the
accommodating space are in communication with each other. The body
is accommodated in the accommodating space. The wall surface of the
body is provided with a plurality of outlet units. The lifting
means is connected between the housing and the body, thereby
driving the body to move in the accommodating space. The operating
means is used to abut and fix the body. In operation, a user
controls the operating means to release the body, so that the body
is driven by the lifting means to move upwardly. In this way, the
plurality of outlet units will be exposed to the outside of the
opening, so that the user can have more outlet unit choices at
various spatial elevations.
Inventors: |
Lee; Yu-Lung; (Nanjhuang
Township, TW) ; Kuo; Ming-Chou; (Taipei City,
TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ROSENBERG, KLEIN & LEE
3458 ELLICOTT CENTER DRIVE-SUITE 101
ELLICOTT CITY
MD
21043
US
|
Family ID: |
41568445 |
Appl. No.: |
12/232402 |
Filed: |
September 17, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
361/118 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R 25/003 20130101;
H01R 13/713 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
361/118 |
International
Class: |
H02H 3/22 20060101
H02H003/22 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 23, 2008 |
TW |
97127959 |
Claims
1. A surge protector with spatial variation, comprising: a housing
having an opening and an accommodating space, the opening and the
accommodating space being in communication with each other; a body
accommodated in the accommodating space, the body being provided
with a plurality of outlet units; a lifting means accommodated in
the accommodating space, the lifting means being provided between
the housing and the body, thereby lifting and lowering the body in
the housing freely; and an operating means accommodated in the
accommodating space, the operating means abutting and fixing the
body.
2. The surge protector with spatial variation according to claim 1,
wherein the plurality of outlet units is provided on three side
walls of the body.
3. The surge protector with spatial variation according to claim 1,
wherein the outlet unit is made according to US standard, Japan
standard, or European standard.
4. The surge protector with spatial variation according to claim 1,
wherein the housing is further provided with a controlling piece
opening, a partition, and a plurality of fixing portions, the
controlling piece opening is in communication with the
accommodating space and is adjacent to the opening, the plurality
of fixing portions is located at the bottom of the housing, the
partition is a curved plate extending from a side wall of the
housing, a receiving space is formed between the interior of the
partition and the housing, the partition is provided with a first
through hole and a second through hole, the first through hole and
the second through hole are in communication with the accommodating
space and the receiving space.
5. The surge protector with spatial variation according to claim 4,
wherein an abutting plate extends from the periphery of the bottom
of the body, the abutting plate restricts and fixes the body to the
opening with the plurality of outlet units being exposed to the
outside of the opening.
6. The surge protector with spatial variation according to claim 5,
wherein the lifting means comprises a pair of cross connecting rods
and a plurality of springs, the pair of cross connecting rods is
provided between the housing and the body, one ends of the pair of
cross connecting rods are connected to the housing, while the other
ends are connected to the bottom of the body, the plurality of
springs is located between the housing and the body, one ends of
the plurality of springs are fixed to the plurality of fixing
portions, while the other ends abut the bottom of the body.
7. The surge protector with spatial variation according to claim 5,
wherein the operating means has a control piece, a positioning
piece, a first compression spring, and a second compression spring,
the control piece is located in the accommodating space, one end of
the control piece is exposed to the outside of the controlling
piece opening while the other end thereof passes through the first
through hole to be received in the receiving space, the positioning
piece is received in the receiving space with its one end being
exposed to the inside of the accommodating space via the second
through hole, the positioning piece is provided with a trough, the
other end of the control piece abuts the trough, the first
compression spring is disposed on the control piece, one end of the
first compression spring is connected to one end of the control
piece while the other end thereof is connected to an outer wall of
the partition, one end of the second compression spring is
connected to the housing while the other end thereof is connected
to the other end of the positioning piece.
8. The surge protector with spatial variation according to claim 1,
wherein the lifting means comprises a set of levers and a pivot,
the pivot is provided at the bottom of the accommodating space of
the housing, the set of levers are rotatably connected on the
pivot, one ends of the set of levers are connected to the bottom of
the body while the other ends thereof are connected to the bottom
of the control piece, the set of levers further have a plurality of
rods that are connected with each other.
9. The surge protector with spatial variation according to claim 8,
wherein the number of the rods is two, three, or four.
10. The surge protector with spatial variation according to claim
1, wherein the housing is made into an extension-type or one
embedded in a wall.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a surge protector, and in
particular to a surge protector with spatial variation, in which a
driving means is provided, so that the outlets of the surge
protector can be lifted or lowered according to the user's control;
thus, the user can use the outlets in different orientations
easily, thereby satisfying the user's demands.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] With the discovery and application of electricity, the usage
of electricity has become a necessity for our daily life. For
example, various electric appliances such as a television, electric
lamp, refrigerator, washing machine, or the like employ electricity
as power for operation.
[0005] Generally, electric appliances are each provided with a
power plug. A user only needs to insert the power plug into the
outlet provided on the wall of a house, thereby providing the
necessary power for the operation of the electric appliance.
However, since the power line length of the electric appliance that
is used to connect to the power outlet is limited, an extension
socket is sometimes used to increase the operating range of the
electric appliance, thereby facilitating the user with the use of
the electric appliance.
[0006] Please refer to FIG. 1, the conventional extension socket
comprises a socket body 1a, a plurality of outlets 2a, an electric
line 3a, and a power plug 4a. The plurality of outlets 2a is
provided on the socket body 1a, so that the plurality of outlets 2a
can be electrically connected to a plurality of electric appliances
(not shown). The electric line 3a is electrically connected between
the socket body 1a and the power plug 4a, thereby extending the
operating range of the socket body 1a. In operation, the power plug
4 is inserted into the power outlet (not shown) on the wall of a
house. The electricity is introduced into the socket body 1a via
the electric line 3a, and then is delivered to the plurality of
outlets 2a. The user only needs to insert the power plugs of the
plurality of electric appliances (not shown) into the outlets 2a
respectively, so that the plurality of electric appliances can be
provided with the necessary power for their operation.
[0007] Although the conventional extension socket can extend the
operating range of the electric appliance, the conventional
extension socket has drawbacks as follows.
[0008] (I) The number of the outlets is limited, and it is
impossible to expand the number of outlets.
[0009] (II) The conventional extension socket can only be used in
one direction (i.e. only be plugged in from one direction), which
is very inconvenient.
[0010] Consequently, because of the above limitation resulting from
the technical design of prior art, the inventor strives via real
world experience and academic research to develop the present
invention, which can effectively improve the limitations described
above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The object of the present invention is to provide a surge
protector with spatial variation. With the lifting and lowering of
a body of the surge protector, the function of an outlet unit can
be expanded. A user can select the outlet units in different
orientations according to practical demands.
[0012] In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention
provides a surge protector with spatial variation, which includes a
housing having an opening and an accommodating space, the opening
and the accommodating space being in communication with each other;
a body accommodated in the accommodating space, the body being
provided with a plurality of outlet units; a lifting means
accommodated in the accommodating space, the lifting means being
provided between the housing and the body, thereby lifting and
lowering the body in the housing freely; and an operating means
accommodated in the accommodating space, the operating means
abutting and fixing the body.
[0013] The surge protector with spatial variation of the present
invention has advantageous features as follows.
[0014] (I) The function of the outlet units can be expanded.
[0015] (II) The user can lift the body freely to use the outlet
units in different orientations, thereby increasing its
practicability.
[0016] (III) The present invention is a surge protector with three
surfaces having outlet units, thereby increasing the usability
options.
[0017] (III) The present invention can be applied to an extension
socket, one embedded in a wall or other types of sockets.
[0018] In order to further understand the characteristics and
technical contents of the present invention, a detailed description
relating thereto will be made with reference to the accompanying
drawings. However, the drawings are illustrative only, but not used
to limit the scope of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the external appearance
of a conventional surge protector;
[0020] FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the structure of the
surge protector with spatial variation of the present
invention;
[0021] FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the housing of the surge
protector with spatial variation of the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing another housing of the
surge protector with spatial variation of the present
invention;
[0023] FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the operating state of
the surge protector with spatial variation of the present
invention;
[0024] FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing another operating state
of the surge protector with spatial variation of the present
invention;
[0025] FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing another structure of the
surge protector with spatial variation of the present invention;
and
[0026] FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing the operating state of
another structure of the surge protector with spatial variation of
the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0027] Please refer to FIG. 2. The present invention provides a
surge protector with spatial variation, which includes a housing 1,
a body 2, a lifting means 3, and an operating means 4.
[0028] The housing 1 has an opening 11, a controlling piece opening
12, an accommodating space 13, a partition 14 and a plurality of
fixing portions 15. The opening 11 and the controlling piece
opening 12 are provided on a side wall of the housing 1
respectively and are in communication with the accommodating space
13 within the housing 1. The plurality of fixing portions 15 is
provided at the bottom of the accommodating space 13 of the housing
1. The number of the fixing portions 15 can be one, two, three, or
four. In the present embodiment, the number of the fixing portion
15 is one.
[0029] The partition 14 is a curved plate extending from the side
wall of the housing 1. A receiving space 141 is formed between the
interior of the partition 14 and the housing 1. The partition 14 is
provided with a first through hole 142 and a second through hole
143. The accommodating space 13 and the receiving space 141 are in
communication with each other via the first through hole 142 and
the second through hole 143. Further, the housing 1 can be formed
into an extension type (FIG. 4) or one embedded in a wall (FIG.
3).
[0030] The body 2 is accommodated in the accommodating space 13.
The body 2 has a plurality of outlet units 21 and an abutting plate
22. The plurality of outlet units 21 is provided on three side
walls of the body 2, so that the user can choose the outlet units
21 on different side walls according to the practical demands. The
abutting plate 22 is a plate extending from the periphery of the
bottom of the body 2. The abutting plate 22 is used to restrict and
fix the body 2 to the opening 11 of the housing 1, so that the body
2 can be accommodated in the housing 1 with the plurality of outlet
units 2 being exposed to the outside of the opening 11. Further,
the outlet unit 21 can be made according to US standard, Japan
standard, European standard, or the like.
[0031] The lifting means 3 is provided in the accommodating space
13. The lifting means 3 comprises a plurality of springs 31 and a
pair of cross connecting rods 32. One ends of the plurality of
springs 31 are fixed to the fixing portion 15 of the housing 1,
while the other ends abut the bottom of the body 2. The number of
the spring 31 may be one, two, three, or four, which is selected
according to the number of the fixing portions 15. Therefore, in
the present embodiment, the number of the spring 31 is one. The
pair of cross connecting rods 32 is formed by connecting two rods
that cross each other and are rotatable. The pair of cross
connecting rods 32 is provided between the housing 1 and the body
2. One ends of the pair of cross connecting rods 32 are connected
to the housing 1, while the other ends are connected to the bottom
of the body 2. With the interaction of the pair of cross connecting
rods 32 and the plurality of springs 31, the body 2 can be lifted
or lowered in the housing 1 freely.
[0032] The operating means 4 has a control piece 41, a positioning
piece 42, a first compression spring 43, and a second compression
spring 44. The control piece 41 is provided in the accommodating
space 13 of the housing 1. One end of the control piece 41 is
exposed to the outside of the controlling piece opening 12, while
the other end passes through the first through hole 142 to be
accommodated in the receiving space 141. The positioning piece 142
is received in the receiving space 141. Further, the positioning
piece 42 is provided with a trough 421. The other end of the
control piece 41 abuts the trough 421. One end of the positioning
piece 42 passes through the second through hole 143 and is exposed
inside the accommodating space 13 of the housing 1. With the
abutting plate 22 of the body 2 selectively abutting the
positioning piece 42, the body 2 can be restricted and fixed
thereto.
[0033] The first compression spring 43 is disposed on the control
piece 41. One end of the first compression spring 43 is connected
to one end of the control piece 41, while the other end thereof is
connected to an outer wall surface of the partition 14. The second
compression spring 44 is provided in the receiving space 141. One
end of the second compression spring 44 is connected to the housing
1, while the other end is connected to the other end of the
positioning piece 42. The first compression spring 43 and the
second compression spring 44 are used to provide elastic recovering
forces.
[0034] Please refer to FIGS. 5 and 6. In operation, the user only
needs to press the control piece 41, and then the control piece 41
will drive the positioning piece 42. That is, the other end of the
control piece 41 abuts the trough 421. Then, the positioning piece
42 moves toward the receiving space 141, so that the abutting plate
22 loses a place which it can abut. The body 2 is subjected to the
action of the plurality of springs 31. At the same time, with the
guiding of the pair of cross connecting rods 32, the body 2 moves
upwardly in the accommodating space 13 until the abutting plate 22
of the body 2 abuts the opening 11 of the housing 1 and is fixed
thereto. The outlet units 21 exposed to the three side walls of the
body 2 (i.e. the outlets units 21 in different orientations) can be
freely used by the user based on the practical demands, thereby
increasing the usability options and convenience of the present
invention.
[0035] Please refer to FIG. 7, which shows another embodiment of
the present invention. In this embodiment, the operating means 4 is
provided with the control piece 41 only. Further, the plurality of
springs 31 and the pair of cross connecting rods 32 of the lifting
means 3 are replaced by a set of levers 33 and a pivot 34. The
pivot 34 is provided at the bottom of the accommodating space 13 of
the housing 1. One ends of the set of levers 33 are connected to
the bottom of the body 2, while the other ends are connected to the
bottom of the control piece 41. The set of levers 33 are rotatably
connected on the pivot 34. The set of levers 33 has a plurality of
rods 331. The plurality of rods 331 are connected in series and
cooperate with the pivot 34 to generate leverage. Further, the
number of the rods 331 is not limited thereto and can be determined
according to the user's demands. The number of the rods 331 may be
two, three, or four. In the present embodiment, the number of the
rods 331 is three.
[0036] Please refer to FIG. 8. In operation, the user presses the
control piece 41 to drive the levers 33 connected between the
bottom of the control piece 41 and the bottom of the body 2. The
set of levers 33 cooperates with the pivot 33 to lift the body 2,
so that the body 2 can be lifted or lowered freely in the housing
According to the above, the present invention has advantages as
follows.
[0037] (I) According to the user's demands, the body of the surge
protector can be lifted, so that the user can use the outlet units
in different orientations, thereby increasing the practicability of
the present invention.
[0038] (II) The present invention is a surge protector with three
surfaces having outlet units, which provides the user with
usability options.
[0039] (III) In addition to a common extension-type socket, the
present invention can be applied to a socket embedded in a wall or
the like.
[0040] While the present invention has been described in terms of
what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred
embodiments, it is to be understood that the present invention
needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiment. On the contrary,
it is intended to cover various modifications and similar
arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended
claims which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so
as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.
* * * * *